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Efo riro ! This Nigerian vegetable soup is easy to make, delicious and nutritious. Efo can be paired with Nigerian swallows like eba, fufu, amala or with rice, plantain and other foods. This is the best efo riro recipe.
EFO RIRO RECIPE
Efo riro is a Yoruba soup made with green leafy vegetables like spinach, ugu, kale, greens and the likes. It is nutritious and delicious. This is one of my favourite soup and i don’t get tired of eating it. Typical efo riro is made with no tomatoes and shouldn’t be watery. No! It’s not efo riro if the vegetables are swimming in water. My favourite green vegetables for efo are spinach and kale. Let me show you quick, easy steps on how to make efo riro.
INGREDIENTS
Full ingredients, details and video in recipe card at the end of this post
Scotch bonnet/habanero (rodo)
Bell peppers
Onion
Palmoil
Locust beans (iru)
Stock cubes
Salt
Beef and assorted meat
Snail (optional) cleaned and boiled.
Smoked fish or stock fish
Kale
Spinach
HOW TO MAKE EFO RIRO
Efo riro is easy, quick and simple to make. Here are the steps on how to cook efo riro:
1) Boil the beef and assorted meat and set this aside.
2) Soak the smoked fish in hot salty water for 2 minutes (this removes the dirt off the fish), shred and seperate the bones from the fish.
3) Cut, wash and blanch the vegetables.
4) Blend coarsely the scotch bonnets, bell peppers and onion.
5) Place pot on the stove on medium heat and pour palmoil in the pot.
6) When palmoil is heated, pour in the blended peppers, stock cubes, locust beans and leave to cook for 10 minutes.
7) Add in boiled beef, assorted meats, dry fish and salt to taste.
8) Leave to cook for another 10 minutes. By now the stew should be fried and thick in consistency. The stew should not be watery.
9) Add the blanched vegetables and stir it in the stew. Leave to simmer on low heat for 2 minutes.
Do not overcook the vegetable as this would mean the vegetable losing most of it’s nutrients.
Efo riro is ready to eat.
What to Serve Efo riro with
Semo, rice or any food of choice. Vegetable soup goes with almost every food.
Delicious efo riro recipe.
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Efo riro – Efo riro Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Bell pepper
- 6 Scotch bonnets rodo
- 1 large Onion
- 1 cup Palm oil
- 4 tablespoon Locust beans iru
- 2 Stock cubes
- Beef and assorted meat
- 100 g Prawns fresh or dried
- 80 g Smoked fish or stock fish trimmings
- 200g Kale or any green leafy vegetable
- 250g Spinach or any green leafy vegetable
Instructions
- Boil the beef and assorted meat and set this aside.
- Soak the smoked fish in hot salty water for 2 minutes (this removes the dirt off the fish), shred and seperate the bones from the fish.
- Cut, wash and blanch the vegetables.
- Blend coarsely the scotch bonnets, bell peppers and onion.
- Place pot on the stove on medium heat and pour palmoil in the pot.
- When palmoil is heated, pour in the blended peppers, stock cubes, locust beans and leave to cook for 10 minutes.
- Add in boiled beef, assorted meats, dry fish and salt to taste.
- Leave to cook for another 10 – 15 minutes. By now the stew should be fried and thick in consistency. The stew should not be watery.
- 9) Add the blanched vegetables and stir it in the stew. Leave to simmer on low heat for 2 minutes. Do not overcook the vegetable as this would mean the vegetable losing most of it's nutrients.
- Take off heat and serve.
- Enjoy efo riro with swallow like eba, amala, pounded yam or rice, plantain or any food of choice.
Video
Notes
If you try this recipe, rate it and leave comment below.
This post was originally published January 30, 2014. Now republished December 2019 with few new pictures.
This is sure delicious thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I’m glad you like it. Thanks for the feedback.
ya this is a very good recipe if i eat the food i may not eat for another 24hours
Thank you for the feedbavk 🙂
Hy dear, I need to attend the catering class but i base in kaduna sometimes Ogun state. Pls do something about it
Nice having u pls how can I get ur spices over here in kaduna?
Thank you Ummu. Not Shipping to Kaduna yet but it will be available in Lagos and Ibadan from next week.
Dis food is delicious nd tasty.yummy yummy yummy yumm yumm
Hello, I live in the US, and I haven’t been able to buy Iru at my local African store. Please do you know anywhere online that i can purchase some?
Hello naijababe, i live in UK and i don’t know of any online foodstore in the US but i will ask from my US readers and get back to you
very delicious, what is 5 scotch bonnet/habanero, and cant somebody use vegetables oil to cook it?
Nice one! I noticed you didn’t add tomatoes. Is there no need for it?
gud job dear…
Thanks Temmy
Looks great….gosh that snail.
U’re doing a good job
A very gud job.more power to ur elbow.
@Amaka.. Thanks for the appreciation????
Thanks DVees????
That snail is calling my name :). Looks amazing!
This is fantastic and delicious. Good job. More grease to your elbow.
Tank you very much Moyo ????